The Spirit Walker (BOOK ONE): The Ripple

Chapter Forty-Six: Reclaiming (18+)

I wake, sore and sticky and shivering. Calum's arm is a heavy rope around my waist, his skin bare against my back.

I blink, glancing around, trying to get my eyes to acclimate to the dark, and hiss and wince when turning my head tugs at the wound on my neck. I prod it with my fingertips, and curse at the pain that radiates down my arm.

My movements must wake Calum, because his breathing changes. He trails his hand upwards, over the dip of my waist, moving to cup a breast and tweak a nipple. His length hardens to life against my back.

"Is it morning?" He murmurs, his voice gravelly and sleep thick. His hand slides down, over the smooth planes of my stomach, and reaches between my thighs.

I hiss and buck my hips away from his touch.

Calum pushes himself up onto his elbow. "Are you hurt?" He suddenly sounds very awake.

"Of course, I'm hurt," I rasp, sitting up, and curse at how that exposes my back to the frigid air. My throat is aching and sore- but I can't tell if that is from how tightly Calum's hand was wrapped around it as he held me down, or from how loudly I was screaming. The wound on my neck is on fire, the space between my thighs swollen and pulsing with every heartbeat. "And I'm cold."

Calum wraps his arms around me, and I stiffen at his touch. An echo of yesterday's desire washes over me, but I push it away.

His head tilts to the side. "Are you... upset with me?"

"What do you think?" I snap.

"Did I harm you?" He asks, gently turning me toward him with his big hands. He pulls the blanket off of me, in spite of my protests, and runs his fingers over my pebbled flesh. "Let me see."

My eyes have fully acclimated to the dark, I realize, as I watch him wince and suck his teeth as he ghosts his fingers over the multitude of bruises that color my skin purple. He prods gently between my legs- my skin crusty from our mingled dried fluids- and I jerk my hips away and curse at the stinging, burning pain even that light touch brings.

"You're swollen. Oh, Raelyn, I'm..." his voice is thick, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, I..."

I shake my head, taking pity on him. "No... that's... I was the one demanding 'more.' You just gave me what I asked for, and then some." I run my fingertips along his skin- the angry bite mark on his neck, the claw marks on his chest and back and thighs, and the crusty paths of dried blood running from them all. "Besides, it looks like I gave as good as I got."

Calum hangs his head, and I gently cup his jaw. "Don't feel bad about any of that. I enjoyed every second of it," I admit, my cheeks warm.

Calum frowns. "Then why..."

I pull my hand away and scowl at him. "Really?"

It takes him a minute, and then he seems to put two and two together. "Euna? But, Raelyn, I thought we had put that behind us..."

"The mate bond just shelved it."

Calum shifts and the blanket gaps away from his waist. I can't help myself- my eyes trail down the hard, lean lines of his chest, the delicious muscle at his groin that points down to his member, which rests half-hard against his strong thigh. Suddenly, the space between my legs pulses with more than just pain. I smell it almost as soon as I feel it- a particular sort of vinegary sweet musk- and realize the second that Calum does as well. His lips quirk a little with pride, his length thickening in response.

I groan in mortification when I realize that was what everyone was smelling every time I have ever been around Calum.

"I hate this stupid bond," I grumble under my breath, pressing my cold hands against my hot cheeks.